Most people blame bad cholesterol for various diseases, but is it true that too much-added sugar in your diet can also cause health issues? Yes, added sugar affects you from head to toe. Despite various attempts by the sugar industry to present sugar as a harmless product, research has repeatedly shown that excessive sugar consumption can lead to significant health problems.
The challenging aspect is this: from baked goods to sweetened dairy, all processed foods contain added sugar, and many individuals prefer these processed meals over healthier options. This dietary trend results in the average consumer deriving about ten percent of their caloric intake from added sugar. This can lead to a sugar crash, characterized by a rapid decline in energy levels after an initial spike due to high sugar intake. Symptoms of a sugar crash include fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating, which can further exacerbate unhealthy eating habits and overall well-being.
Why Are Sugar Crashes Bad For Your Health?
Added sugar consumption is responsible for cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, leaky gut, type 2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. Dietary guidelines recommend limiting calorie intake from added sugar to below ten percent daily. Here are the reasons, detailed with evidence, why sugar is bad for your health.
1. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
When the Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that sugary foods like soft figs cause cavities, no one gave an ear. Today, we all know that sugar paves the way for cavities. Nevertheless, sugar does not directly cause caries (a dental term for tooth decay). The sequence of events taking place after sugar consumption is to be blamed. Here’s what happens.
There are many varieties of bacteria in your mouth. Some of these bacteria produce acid when they digest sugar. Since your oral cavity is not made for an acidic pH, essential minerals from your teeth leach out due to acidic effects. This is called demineralization. Although our bodies respond to naturally restore this mineral content in teeth, repeated sugar, and acid intake can take precedence over the natural process. Ultimately, a hole in the tooth may lead to sensitivity and sharp, shooting pain.
Nobody expects you never to touch that sugary snack or a sweetened beverage. Just make sure that you don’t do this frequently. Moreover, limit your intake of sticky candies and rise after you have consumed any such product.
2. Sugar creates a high risk of acne.
Studies have associated a refined-carb-rich diet, including sugary drinks and foods, with a higher risk of acne. Processed sweets have a high glycemic index, which raises blood sugar faster than other foods with a low glycemic index.
A study has shown that sugary foods rapidly raise blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to androgen secretion, inflammation, and oil production. These factors play an active role in the development of acne.
Another study that observed 2,300 teens showed that participants who frequently consumed added sugars faced a 30 percent higher risk of developing acne compared to those who had limited sugar intake.
Furthermore, several population studies have pointed out that rural communities that eat non-processed, traditional foods have almost non-existent acne rates, contrary to urban, high-income communities.
Not only does added sugar consumption increase the risk of developing acne, but it also results in skin aging. Once it reaches the blood, sugar sticks to the proteins, producing harmful molecules called advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). As the acronym suggests, AGEs age your skin.
Related article: 14 Things You Can Do To Treat Your Acne
3. Sugar causes weight gain.
Obesity has become a growing concern worldwide. The main culprit in this problem is added sugar, especially sugary beverages.
Sugary drinks like soda, sweet teas, and juices contain high amounts of fructose, which, as mentioned earlier, harms the human body. Not only does fructose in your body cause fatty liver, but it also cannot satiate the consumer. It increases hunger and causes you to desire more food.
Moreover, consuming excessive fructose makes you resistant to leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone that directs your body to stop eating. In this way, you tend to consume more liquid calories, which causes weight gain.
A study published in 2013 observed two groups, one of which drank a glucose-sweetened drink while the other consumed a fructose-sweetened drink. It was found that the glucose-drinking group experienced reduced blood flow and satiety in the hypothalamus. In contrast, the fructose-drinking group experienced increased blood flow in the aforementioned brain area and felt hungry.
Another study has shown that fructose does not reduce ghrelin levels like glucose. Ghrelin is a hunger hormone. If you have higher levels of ghrelin, you feel more hunger.
Related article: 13 Genuine Ways to Burn More Fat
4. Sugar increases the risk of diabetes.
Reports of diabetes have doubled in the past 30 years. Excessive sugar consumption is among the many reasons behind the growing instances of diabetes. A study shows that obesity is one of the most decisive factors for diabetes, while excessive sugar consumption is a significant cause of obesity.
Moreover, excessive sugar consumption makes you resistant to insulin. Your pancreas produces this hormone to regulate the blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance leads to higher blood sugar levels, which ultimately increases the risk of diabetes.
Insulin resistance even leads to a rise in blood insulin levels. The pancreas responds to this resistance by secreting more insulin to remove the blood glucose, as increased glucose in the bloodstream is toxic.
Elevated insulin levels complicate the situation, as insulin also directs the fat cells to take fat from the bloodstream and store it, in addition to the fact that they are already carrying it.
A population study involving more than 175 countries has shown that the risk of diabetes rises by 1.1% with the consumption of every 150 calories of sugar per day, which is equal to one soda can.
Other studies also show that people who consume sugary drinks, including fruit juice, have more risk of developing diabetes.
5. Sugar speeds up the skin aging process.
Although skin aging is a natural process and wrinkling occurs regardless of one’s health, it can worsen with poor food choices. If you are not careful with your diet, you may experience wrinkling, a telltale sign that your skin has started aging.
As mentioned, the compounds called AGEs are produced by the reaction between proteins and sugar in your body. Evidence shows that they play a significant role in skin aging.
What happens when you eat a diet filled with refined carbohydrates and sugar? Your body’s protein forms molecules with the sugar, resulting in premature skin aging. AGEs harm elastin and collagen, the proteins responsible for keeping your skin stretched and retaining its youthful appearance.
When these proteins are damaged, the skin starts sagging and loses its firmness. A study in women found that participants consuming more carbs, including added sugars, showed more wrinkling than those on a lower-carb, high-protein diet.
The researchers linked the lower carb intake to a better skin-aging appearance.
6. Sugar increases cellular aging.
Telomeres are the molecular structures that store a part or all of your genetic information. They exist at the end of the chromosomes. Apart from storing data, these protecting caps prevent chromosomes from fusing or deteriorating. When you grow old, these structures shorten, which results in cell aging and malfunctioning.
It is pertinent to mention here that telomere shortening is a normal part of aging. However, unhealthy food choices can accelerate the process.
Research shows that high sugar consumption can accelerate telomere shortening, increasing cellular aging.
Another study of 5,309 adults has associated regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages with shorter telomere length and premature cell aging. Moreover, the study stipulated that each 20-ounce can of sugar-sweetened beverage equals 4.6 additional years of aging, given that the other factors remain the same.
7. Sugar increases the risk of heart disease.
Researchers have linked high-sugar diets to a high risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the primary cause of death across the globe. Moreover, there is evidence that consuming high-sugar diets may result in inflammation, high triglyceride, blood pressure levels, and blood sugar, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
A study shows that high added-sugar consumption increases a person’s risk of dying from heart disease. The study observed 30,000 individuals and found that those who took 17-21% of calories from added sugar faced a 38% higher risk of death from heart disease than those who consumed only 8% of calories from the sugar.
It means that eating too much sugar puts you at the risk of dying from heart disease.
Moreover, high sugar consumption, especially from sugary drinks, leads to atherosclerosis – a disease marked by fatty, artery-clogging deposits.
As mentioned earlier, the recommended daily calorie intake from sugar is below 10 percent, while one 16-ounce (473-ml) soda can have 52 grams of sugar, more than the recommended daily intake.
Therefore, only one sugar-sweetened drink already puts you over the prescribed daily limit for added sugar.
8. Sugar increases the risk of cancer.
Excessive consumption of sugar can increase your risk of developing certain forms of cancer. According to a study, obesity increases the risk of cancer. It is a well-established fact now that a high-sugar diet leads to obesity.
The National Institute of Health has found a link between several types of
sugar and certain cancers. Apart from obesity, sugar-high diets cause inflammation in your body. They further induce insulin resistance in a person. A study has concluded that both inflammation and insulin resistance raise the risk of cancer.
Another study of more than 430,000 individuals has associated the consumption of added sugar with an increased risk of esophageal cancer, small intestine cancer, and pleural cancer.
As per this study, added sugars raise the risk of esophageal cancer, whereas added fructose increases the risk of cancer in the small intestine. One study maintains that women who ate cookies and sweet buns more than three times a week had 1.42
times more risk of developing endometrial cancer than those who ate these foods less than 0.5 times a week.
There is still a lot of scope in research on the link between cancer and sugar intake. However, the studies conducted already point towards this complex relationship.
9. Sugar increases the risk of depression.
It is a renowned fact that a healthy diet lightens up your mood. Just as a healthy diet has a positive effect on your mood, a diet loaded with added sugar, including processed foods, can increase your risk of developing depression.
According to a study, eating processed foods that include high-sugar products like sugary drinks and cakes puts you at a higher risk of depression.
Another cohort study has concluded that neurotransmitter dysregulation, inflammation, and blood sugar swings all point out the detrimental effects of sugar on mental health.
A study of 8,000 individuals for 22 years observed that men who ate 67 grams of sugar or more every day had a 23% higher chance of developing depression than those who consumed less than 40 grams per day.
10. Sugar causes a sudden boost in energy, followed by a crash.
A sugar-high diet rapidly raises blood sugar and insulin levels. The sudden rise in these levels increases the energy levels as well. However, these elevated energy levels last for a short time.
Products containing empty calories, i.e., packed with sugar, but lack of protein, fat, or fiber cause a sudden boost in energy, followed by an immense drop in blood sugar, also known as the crash.
Persistent blood sugar swings may result in fluctuations in energy levels. This is an energy-draining cycle that disrupts your day-to-day business. To avoid this, you should opt for carb sources rich in fiber and low in added sugar.
Final Words to Sugar Crash
In this age where one is occupied 24/7, consumption of processed foods, quick snacks, and sweetened beverages has become a common practice. Replacement of natural foods with these handy products has taken a toll on human health. The unhealthy lifestyle choices of the modern era have rendered us vulnerable to a lot of complex health conditions. Added sugar consumption poses too many adverse effects on human beings.
Excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks may lead to blood sugar issues, weight gain, and a high risk of heart disease.
